I don't know whether to like this book or hate it. I guess I feel both ways about it. Perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of this title is that it so claustrophobic and unbelievable, even for me when I am normally very adept at suspending disbelief. The ending felt terribly artificial as well, regarding the new possible Amazonian medical breakthrough... oh dear goodness. This book never had a place on my shelves... I'm late to the game...at this point you can read one of the many thousands of reviews that will give you the gist of what will happen in this book, or read the back of the book cover, so I'll spare you those details. What I will say is that I love it when an author doesn't sacrifice any of the members the holy trinity of writing - language, plot, character - in favor of focusing more fully on just one or two at a time. Though novels that do lean heavily towards once element of craft or another can be impressive, they're often not good...in the end, they're imbalanced novels that tend require the wrong kind of energy to get through. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett strikes a perfect balance. Great language, great plot, great characters...none of them overdone, none of them trying to overshadow (or make up for) the other. Highly recommended.
What do You think about State Of Wonder (2011)?
Quite unlike anything else I've read. My first Patchett novel but certainly not my last!
—herself
Haven't read her before, but it was an unusual and captivating literary novel.
—Cait6
